The Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP) has warned that regulations on EU’s new IUU (illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing) law would be the biggest hindrance for Vietnamese seafood companies when they try to export products, reported local website Vietnam Net Bridge.

Under the IUU law, all seafood export consignments to the EU must clearly show the origin of the products, including the sea area where the fish are caught and the names of the fishing boats, or they will be refused entry.

According to Cong Thuong newspaper, the new regulation will be valid as of January 1, 2010. Meanwhile, a lot of Vietnamese businesses are unprepared.

According to VASEP, most processing and export companies are collecting fish materials from small merchants at fishing ports. They do not purchase materials directly from fishermen, therefore, it is very difficult for them to declare the origin of the fish.

Small merchants, meanwhile, collect fish from tens or even hundreds fishing boats, making it impossible to remember all the names of the ships. Some offshore ships even sell fish right on the sea to service ships.

Vietnam’s fishing industry remains very small and the State has not set up any strict regulations. Therefore, VASEP has cautioned that it will not be easy to follow the EU’s IUU.

A lot of businesses noted that they first heard about the new regulation two years ago, but they still cannot implement its requirements. Export companies clearly record where they purchase materials, but the problem is that they must get certification from local authorities.

The businesses predicted that they will face many difficulties in IUU application, because up to 60-70 percent of exporters to the EU are using materials caught in the wild.